


End of the Dream

by Bishoukun



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M, Other, This one's gonna be a doozy y'all, prepare for feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-14 19:33:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18482923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bishoukun/pseuds/Bishoukun
Summary: One decision can impact the rest of our lives - and the lives of those around us. Kenny's decision to tell his liege the truth influences a decision he otherwise would have made very, very differently.With his loyalties tied to the men who raised him, how much do things change when Levi enters the Survey Corps under orders to keep them from advancing too much?





	1. Chapter 1

"What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Kenny glanced over his shoulder to toward the blond, shifted his arms across his chest, and shrugged dismissively. "Nothing."

"You're a really terrible liar." Uri moved to lean against the table, fixing Kenny with a concerned look. "You keep going to tell me something, change your mind, and then sulk about it for hours."

"I don't sulk," he replied with a glare.

"I'm worried about you."

There it was again; the intensely genuine expression that made Kenny struggle to breathe. How long was this going to go on for? Surely, he'd wear out his usefulness at some point. In moments like these, though, it was impossible to believe that Uri would be so typical. Already, the pattern his family had known was broken by this man. He averted his eyes to the open window and the summer rain in the courtyard.

"I got a sister." His tone was casual, unbetraying of the weight such a statement carried with it. The silence that followed was equally brief.

"Bring her here," Uri suggested in command. He answered Kenny's hard stare with a smile. "We're not hurting for space, and I'm sure I'd get along much better with her than... I shouldn't speak the rest of that here."

Kenny barked a laugh, grinning widely. Of course Uri would take the opportunity to push his brother further from him, more so if such an opportunity also involved harassing the fucker. Bringing another Ackerman into the fold would horrify Rod, let alone one related to the stray dog Uri had already taken in. The reaction would be priceless.

 

* * *

 

 

He could go downstairs and inform the procurer of his discovery. He would be assigned all existing debts along with the cost of disposal, which would end with him forced to take on the horrors of the house to survive. That wasn't something he was willing to do after so much had been sacrificed to protect him from that same trap. There weren't any viable alternatives, though. Without the physical strength to defend himself, sneaking out onto the streets wouldn't get him very far. He had nowhere to go, and nobody to go to. Despondent, he slid down against the wall near the foot of the bed.

Hearing the door open roused his attention, and he watched wearily as the tall stranger approached where his mother lay. Unnoticed, he remained silent until he heard the man speak her real name. If he knew that name, then...

"She's dead."

Kenny turned toward the unfamiliar voice and stared. There was a small child looking up at him. His eyes were barely open, and he clearly wasn't far behind Kuchel.

"Who're you?" He demanded impatiently. "You're alive, right?" When the boy didn't answer, Kenny groaned. "C'mon, gimme a break. You understand me, don't you? What's your name?"

"Levi. Just Levi."

Letting the bag slip from his left hand, Kenny leaned against the wall opposite the child. Kuchel hadn't passed on her surname. She'd seen no point to it. Maybe it was even an attempt to protect her son. How could she have known that Uri would call off the assault of their family? He slid down, carried by the weight of the woman beside him. It'd been too late for her.

"Kenny," he said at last. "Pleased to meet ya, kid."

"Who-?" A few coughs interrupted him as his throat protested the sudden end of its hiatus. Kenny glanced at the sunken and once-beautiful face, considering his options.

_"If she's close to me, then we can protect her."_

The same would apply to the kid, right?

_Right, Uri?_

"Kuchel was my little sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this came to fruition out of nowhere and I'm rolling with the waves of inspiration! If you ever have a weird 2AM scene that doesn't fit into any universe you have, play it out anyway. This formed from a scene of Mike and Levi having a (mostly one-sided) conversation about wanting to sleep with Erwin.


	2. Chapter 2

Levi didn't remember passing through the tunnel or navigating the city streets, but he could remember the bright warmth and light wind. It was different from what he'd expected, and more profound than the sun or air that knew from the small crevice to the South of the brothel. He might have been captivated by it if keeping conscious didn't take so much effort. With what little strength he had, even staying somewhat alert for the whole trip wasn't possible.

Kenny wasn't entirely sure at what point the kid had passed out. He supposed it didn't really matter, so long as he could get him to wake up eventually. Levi was still breathing.

Warm baths were rare and luxurious delicacies. Applying the same status to having someone else assist washing, however, was debatable; more so when that person was a coarse-handed man with no concept how much pressure it took to cause pain. Worst of all, Kenny was slow and inefficient about it. Being so reckless with the resources it took up made him anxious, and the man who was apparently his uncle seemed oblivious to his struggle.

Kenny understood, though. He noticed the familiar building restlessness and tension straining Levi's small body quickly. There would be no escaping that anxiety without time to adjust to a different situation, and he wasn't about to rush along just because the boy was uncomfortable. Taking more time was just fine by him, anyway. Uri would have been informed of his return and would be waiting for him to present a beautiful young woman to appoint into his house service.

Instead, he would be bringing a small, starved child not yet ten years old. What usefulness could they possibly find for him? Close, Uri had said. Keeping Kuchel /close/ was how they would protect her. Maybe Uri would have some miraculous creative miracle. The man had already made quite the habit of shocking him.

Clothes were an afterthought. Stealing from one of the servant's kids was easy enough, although Levi was hardly happy to sit and wait naked in the washroom while he did so. Truthfully, he didn't seem much different; small, guarded, and angry. Fresh clothes were an improvement, at least. He seemed a little bit less angry.

Uri waited in his private study, dazing out the window with his hands clasped together over his lap. Bringing back a young child from the underground wasn't what he had expected, and the meaning was plain and heavy. For all of Kenny's toughness, his love for his little sister was obvious in how he spoke of her. Until recently, he had been powerless to truly help Kuchel, and now that the opportunity had been obtained, it was too late. But for the boy...

He was quick to open the door as soon as he heard Kenny, watching quietly as a frail child was placed in his chair behind the desk. Kenny didn't turn to face him, instead staring out the window, but the child's eyes followed his. After locking the study, Uri approached the two Ackermans.

"My name is Uri Reiss." A calm smile dictated his tone, balancing between being approachable and without pity. Nearly half a minute passed as the boy criticized him silently.

"Levi," he said roughly.

"Well, Levi." Uri glanced at his guard's distant expression with concern before reaching across the desk to retrieve a quill and ink well. "Would you open that drawer to your left and pull out the top paper there?"

Both of the Ackermans gave him a look that mixed curiosity with suspicion as the smaller boy tugged the drawer open. Levi stared at the freshly written words on the page long enough to get a grasp on the meaning behind them before he passed it to Uri and turned to Kenny with a conflicted expression.

"The fuck are you lookin' at me like that for?" Kenny asked dismissively as he leaned over the chair to get a better look at whatever Uri was now writing on. He only needed to skim a few words before he knew what the rest entailed. With one hand gripping the back of Uri's chair, he stared at the blond. When he'd thought about the king shocking him, this wasn't what he'd had in mind.

"Do you trust me, Kenny?" Uri's tone completely lacked the usual passive aggressive threats that such a question so often came with. He already knew the answer, so it wasn't even really a question; it was a reminder. Along with the secure confidence of his smile, his whole presence was disarming.

"You'd better be right about this," he muttered with as much hostility as he could manage.

Levi watched as the document was signed and a pair of wax seals were stamped onto the bottom. If it weren't so obvious that the two men actually gave shits about what happened to him, he would have been livid at his lack of input on the decision they had made. Living here would be objectively better than dying in the Underground, at least, and potentially a trifle less dangerous. Still, Kenny hardly seemed like he was itching to become a parent, let alone adopt a nephew he hadn't known about a day prior.

"There," Uri said as the document was set among others in an unassuming lock box. "Kenny, would you open the window and give a whistle?"

"Huh?"

"Please?"

Kenny gave Uri's smile a suspicious glare, unlatching the window and scanning the courtyard before finally making a loud whistle. From the opposite side of an ash tree, he saw a young woman with blonde hair emerge and begin walking over. Giving Uri a wary look, he stepped back closer to Levi, keeping the chair from turning toward the window.

"Rebecca," Uri greeted as she leaned against the sil. "Is the room ready?"

"It is, yes." She glanced up nervously at Kenny, shifting her weight. "Who will we be adding to the family?"

A light touch to Kenny's arm gave the silent instruction to stand down, and even as he leaned against the desk, Uri didn't remove his hand. Curious, and annoyed at having been forced out from the initial introduction, the small boy had already pushed to turn the chair enough to face the window and observe this new stranger.

"This is Levi," said the King. "I'm taking him under my care from now on."

"Oh," Rebecca exclaimed in surprise. Dots connected in her head quickly and visibly, but her expression wasn't one of disapproval. "Welcome to your new home, Levi. My name is Rebecca."

Rebecca, with her long blonde hair and soft blue eyes, with her floral summer dress and barely tanned skin, was perhaps the most boring person Levi had ever seen. While she seemed nice enough, unguarded and probably incapable of being a threat to more than a few bugs or mice, personality was nowhere to be found. Nothing about this clean, pretty woman was interesting.

"Would you be so kind as to come around and show Kenny which room is Levi's?" As Rebecca nodded and vanished from the window, Uri faced the other two. He kept his hand on Kenny's arm, not assuming permission to reach out to touch Levi uninvited. The child was visibly exhausted, and he was likely at his limit of being patient with people he didn't know. "Try and get some rest, whether that means sleep or recovering strength in another way. Whatever you need to do."

"Do you want me to report back after dumping the kid?" Kenny asked tiredly.

"Yes," Uri replied, continuing on in spite of Kenny's protestant groaning. "I want you to report to my chambers when you're done." The confused look on his guard's face made him smile. He knew the taller man was going through a hell with which he had yet to reconcile, and he also knew he held the keys to opening the gates of Kenny's many guarded walls. Nothing heals if it stays covered forever.

"Yeah, okay, sure," Kenny muttered before hoisting the boy up out of the chair. "C'mon, brat. Bedtime."

Levi's annoyed expression made his dislike of the term clear, but he either didn't have the strength to contest it or he knew better than to try. He didn't fight against being carried out of the room, and Uri was sure he'd be asleep (if involuntarily through exhaustion) soon after being introduced to his bed.

In spite of the musky summer heat, Kenny felt a deep chill as he walked away from his sister's child. The haunting image of Kuchel's hollow face and waxy skin was burned into his mind, as fresh as the stench of the room he had found her in. He nearly passed the door to Uri's bedroom in his daze. Shaking his head and sighing, he entered and let the door close hard behind him. "The kid's been dealt with."

Kenny sounded almost as tired as he looked, with distant eyes and downcast lips. Now that there was no longer a child to put on a brave face for, the weariness was settling into his whole body. Uri forwent the content disposition he had held in front of Levi in favor of letting his concern show through. He pat the bed beside him, waiting patiently as the larger man dragged himself across the room to lay back on the bed with his hat covering his face.

This wasn't a moment for words. Silently sliding back and leaning down next to Kenny, he reached over and slowly tipped back the leather brim. No attempt was made to stop him as he set the hat to the side, nor as he moved his finger over the wet cheek before him. Kenny's eyes were staring into the ceiling, looking into a time far away from them, to where his sister might have been smiling and vibrant. He didn't seem to notice the king's presence until gentle fingers were stroking through his hair, and he finally met Uri's eyes.

Unlike the look he had given the small child earlier, his expression held no trace of pity. Other things were there, which Kenny had no interest in deciphering right then, but as soft as his blue eyes were as they watched him, it was clear he saw no weakness in this vulnerability.

How could someone so strong, a monster with the power of a god, look at him like that? Why did this king seem to care so much for a rabid, stray dog?

"You've got that look again," Uri said quietly.

"Huh?"

"You're looking at me like I'm some miracle from God," he explained. "It's the same look as when you offered to help me."

"Oh," he replied bluntly.

"I'm not, you know."

"Not what?"

"A miracle."

Kenny stared. Sometimes he thought Uri needed a thwack to the head, and this was absolutely one of those times.

"I'm not," he insisted when he saw the reluctance to accept his statement. "I'm really not all that special at all."

"Uri."

His eyes had a hard look to them, one that might have been dangerous if they were aimed toward anyone else. Uri grew silent again, bewildered, as Kenny sat up.

"Stop spouting that bullshit," the Ackerman demanded. "I ain't tolerating that 'I'm a normal person' crap from you."

"I don't underst-"

"Goddamnit, how do you not?" Kenny gave a frustrated huff, grabbing Uri's left forearm. "My knife was sticking right through here, and you fucking bowed to me. Noblemen don't do that, and you? You're a king, Uri. A Goddamned king. You're not even remotely normal."

Breath held, Uri stared with wide eyes at the hand wrapped around his arm. Firm and calloused, Kenny's hand was tight enough to make him feel unusually warm. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but he really didn't want it to end. With a glance upward, he saw the realization dawning on Kenny. Or, well, a realization.

"Hey, come on, breathe, will ya?" Kenny pleaded nervously. "Stop looking so serious." There was an audible sigh of relief when Uri smiled.

"I didn't mean to worry you," he apologized. "I just hadn't expected you to do that."

"I noticed."

"No, not like that," Uri continued. "It wasn't that. I just didn't realize your hand was so warm."

"Oh. Okay?" Confused, he leaned back on his palm. "You had a serious face because my hand is warm?"

"I think it was more serious because I wasn't expecting it." Uri shifted to sit up before taking Kenny's hand back. He traced over the long fingers, the many scars and ridges scattered about, quietly awed at the lack of resistance. Confusion seemed to be the most effective way of stunning his guard into inaction. Since no one else seemed able to achieve this, Uri didn't mind.

"Kenny," he mused aloud, getting a curious hum in response. "You're not normal, either. I've never met someone so bold."

"What, no one's ever told you that they'd stuff your head with shit before?"

"No," Uri laughed. "Nothing nearly so creative. But that isn't what I mean. You're bold in things that are little in comparison, but far more meaningful. Telling me off, for example."

"Someone needs to," Kenny rebuffed.

"You're the only one who does," he said. "You know what I am and you still... Well, I'm thankful for you, Kenny."

"I'm just an asshole, it's not actually that weird," the brunet insisted. "You feeling up my hand, however, is definitely weird."

"Does it bother you?"

"Did I say that?" Kenny asked, letting his head fall back to look up at the ceiling again. "Uri, if weird bothered me, I really don't think I'd still be here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to comment your thoughts and predictions, it really helps to keep motivation running strong!


	3. Chapter 3

Adjusting to life above ground was going to be a slow process. Having his own space was daunting, not that Levi would admit it, and he was often more comfortable is tucked away spots where he could avoid others. At first, this lead to his watchers losing track of him and panicking. Kenny didn't need to find him, though; he would simply call Levi's name, and would always receive and answer. He had been taught rules to keep him alive in the Underground brothel. The others were quick to learn.

Several hands and arms were bitten before they also learned not to wake him if they managed to catch him sleeping. Eventually, there was a consensus among everyone who wasn't Kenny or Uri just not to try touching Levi at all to begin with. He was okay with that decision. Both of his caretakers were always very intentional when and where they touched him. Because of that, it was easier to relax and allow the contact.

Months passed before Levi got used to the nightly silence. The cycles of the sun had little power in the Underground, and the brothel was never quiet. Initially it had been overwhelming, frightening even, but the break it provided his senses with was welcome. And if he wanted to stay by candlelight the entire night trying to piece together and decode books, no one stopped him.

He liked being able to go outside on a whim; walking down to the river and observing the water. Uri was often there, sitting on an old fallen ash tree branch, sometimes with Kenny standing by his side. It was in those quiet moments, when tension and anxiety were so wholly obstructed by repose, that Levi felt safe.

Having food on a regular schedule was one of the only aspects of living there that Levi didn't have trouble accepting. Uri was rich, and the size of the property he had access to alone was a loud testament to his finances. Buying food wasn't a concern, and for Levi, neither was eating it. Neither was not eating more than he knew was wise to do so. In contrast, however, refusing food altogether after the winter began in force roused some worry.

Uri let it slide by for two days, in case whatever ill feeling had inspired the strike passed. When Levi did not appear for lunch on the third day, he went out to find him by the river. Loosely bundled beside the ash log, the boy looked flushed and miserable as he stared distantly at the water.

"Are you dizzy?" He asked, sitting in his usual spot on the log.

"Yeah."

"Having nothing in your stomach won't help with that."

"I don't want to throw up."

"Your body needs the extra resources to fight this off," Uri said calmly, placing a hand on Levi's shoulder. "What about some tea? A little bit of that should be enough to help without upsetting your stomach."

Levi considered the suggestion and nodded, looking up to the blond in silent request. An understanding smile was his confirmation, and he slowly stood to his feet with a wobble. Without resistance, he was lifted against Uri as they made their way back toward the house. While he wasn't Kenny's height, or anywhere close to it, carrying Levi any distance had never appeared to be a difficult task.

There was warm tea already waiting beside the library sofa in a large pitcher. The cups on the table were sturdy instead of ornate, abating what anxiety would have risen from trying to use ceramic with shaky hands. Levi quickly settled into the sofa's corner with his cup, watching as Uri pulled books out from one of the shelves. He handed one of them to Levi, who sipped his tea before taking it.

"I've seen you looking through that one quite a bit," Uri said as he sat beside him, curling his legs up beneath him. "It's a favorite of mine, too."

"I don't recognize a lot of the words," Levi replied as he looked through the familiar pages. "It's a pain in the ass to not be able to get through the first third."

"It does have a lot of difficult language," he agreed. "Would you like me to read it with you?"

Levi stared silently at one of the open pages. ' _The ballroom, once filled with the glamourous lustre of gowns and jewels, now held an atmosphere of decadence._ ' That was one of the easier sentences to decipher because of the context, but the rest of it... How childish, needing to ask to be read to. Being sick made it all the worse; he already was being tended to. He nearly jumped when Uri's hand touched his, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Levi," said the man gently. "You so easily forget yourself. Needing something as a child isn't a shortcoming the way you are now, so please be more kind to yourself when you do have those needs."

"Yeah, but..." Levi looked back down at the book with furrowed brows. Maybe the blond didn't understand, but Kenny surely would. You didn't get to be a child for long in the Underground, and he had long since crossed that threshold. Uri did seem to have a grasp on that harsh culture, though, so why was he insisting on this?

"How about we think of it differently," Uri suggested with a wise smile. "You're sick, so it's fine for you to indulge in things that you want a bit more, right? So if you want to read with me, there's nothing wrong with doing it."

"It's a childish thing to want," the young boy protested with a pout.

"Oh? Don't tell Kenny that," Uri replied with a light laugh. He watched as Levi's expression went from confusion to acceptance, and motioned for the boy to come closer. After some hesitation, Levi moved to rest against him. Settling the book where they could both read it easily, he began to speak the words aloud.

Asking for help to read a book was childish. Asking to read a book alongside someone was intimacy. There was still a lot that Levi had to learn about the latter, but as he relaxed into his guardian and began to focus on the story, he thought that maybe this was a good way to start.

Kenny returned from a job early that evening, and found the two of them in the library shortly after. Seeing both of their calm expressions and slow breaths set him at ease. With the remnants of winter wind still prickling at his skin, he quietly plopped down onto the sofa and leaned into Uri's warmth. The kid was calm, Uri was steady, and so he was content to simply warm himself there in the stillness.

Nearly an hour later, a disgruntled ' _hrmph_ ' jolted Uri awake, and he immediately shot a glare to the door where his brother was standing. He could almost feel Kenny rolling his eyes as the man tried to pass off the sound as a cough unsuccessfully.

"If you're feeling ill, dear brother, go and rest in your room," the king threatened casually. "Clearly it isn't a good idea to go to the common spaces, especially near children." The fake coughing turned a bit more legitimate as Rod choked at his tone.

"I'll escort you if I hafta," Kenny offered with a wide grin. "Course, that'd mean being stuck in dark hallways with me, alone, at night."

"I'm certain no-one of sound mind wants that," Rod muttered a little too loudly. "Uri, you're-"

"Not of sound mind?" He interrupted, holding a hard gaze before breaking into a laugh. "Well, that explains an awful lot, doesn't it! After all, I did volunteer for this."

"That isn't what I meant!" Rod exclaimed frantically, hands up in surrender.

"Yes, I know that." Uri glanced to the boy against his chest, checking silently if he was still asleep after the raucous. Relieved, he turned back to Rod. "Unless it's dire, it can wait until morning."

"We'll _need_  you come morning," the darker man informed.

"Then send for me," Uri said decisively. He raised a hand in warning when his brother went to speak again, silencing him instantly. As soon as Rod was gone, he sighed and rested his weight back on Kenny. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"That asshole," Levi murmured sleepily. "There's nothing to be gained from doing that."

"No, there's not," Uri agreed with a smile. Levi shifted under his arms, frustration written in the lines of his mouth. That's when he noticed that the child was glaring at the book in his hand. His smile turned into a grin. "He isn't the brightest, not if he thinks the king will tolerate that for long."

"What, you gonna actually-?" Kenny stopped mid-question as he noticed the blond lightly tap the book's cover. With a sigh, he leaned back into Uri and rested his head against the sofa, no longer listening to the drowsy ramblings of a feverish child as they continued. Uri was warm against his side.

Taking care of Levi seemed to come so naturally to the king. Chattering on about trivial things like a book as they were fit the description of a perfectly normal domestic scene, or would were he not there trying to fade into the background. These moments were increasing lately as his nephew settled down and accepted his chance at having some kind of actual life, and they always left Kenny feeling awkward and out of place. It was really just further proof that he wasn't cut out to be a parent.

May God damn whatever world might force his hand into trying to care for Levi on his own.

Kenny remained immobile until he felt Uri pull away. Lifting his head, he saw a gentle expression as the blond picked Levi up without heeding the weary whines of protest. Maybe the key to the child acting normal was having a fever, he mused. He slowly stood to his own feet and followed behind as Uri put Levi to bed and back into the halls, mistakable for a shadow.

The thought that Uri might not be aware of his presence was beginning to gain ground until they reached the bedroom and the door was held open for him to enter. Making his way to sit down in the chair by the window seemed to take forever, and he wasn't expecting the arms around his shoulders.

"Are you sure it's just the kid that's sick?" Kenny asked half-seriously, relieved at the laugh he got in response.

"I'm not sick," Uri assured. "I'm just frustrated with my brother. So, instead of dwelling on that feeling, I'm replacing it. You're much more pleasant to think about."

Now it was Kenny's turn to laugh, though his was hardly as light-hearted. Uri's pout over his shoulder was only slightly exaggerated, so he knew he hadn't actually offended him.

"I'm the source of nightmares, y'know. Most people don't think those are too nice to think of." While he hadn't been joking, Kenny wasn't expecting the serious reply he received to be given in such an easygoing manner. It was unnerving.

"I live a nightmare," Uri said nonchalantly, smiling again. "You're not a bad part of it, and you make it more dreamlike than the rest of the horrifying world. I enjoy the parts of this nightmarish life that have you in it the most, Kenny."

"How the fuck did you just turn that depressing shit into something almost cheesy?" Kenny questioned in mild disbelief, raising an eyebrow at the king.

"Because I read too many trashy romance novels," he replied with a grin. "Now, come to bed."

"Huh?" Kenny stared, certain he'd misheard.

"I don't feel like spending the night both cold and alone." Uri tugged at him lightly. "Come on, please?"

"Uh." Suddenly, Kenny wasn't so sure he wasn't getting sick himself. Holding Uri on a sofa or something was potentially platonic, childish even, and had a thousand possible definitions around it. Sharing a bed meant intentional vulnerability, and like hell would either of them be able to claim that kind of intimacy was just platonic. Uri's calm eyes proclaimed the lack of fucks he gave about calling things anything but what they were.

Well, if Uri had no will to hide things, then there wasn't much to stop him. He grinned. "Sure, what the fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, there are already kudos and bookmarks?! This went up TWO DAYS AGO, y'all! I'm so psyched to continue this story and share it with you. I will warn that the next chapter is almost entirely Kenny and Uri, and will be a pretty intense one.
> 
> Please comment with your thoughts and predictions, it goes a long ways toward helping keep motivation running high!


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